Of Hugs and Battle Scars
by StainedScarlet
Summary: They had hurt her, but she still managed to save them from themselves. /Team 7/ /SasuSaku-ish/
1. Sasuke

**Of Hugs and** **Battle Scars **

By:StainedScarlet

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters. I mean wtf would I be doing writing fanfics if I did? I also don't own the cover photo.

**Summary: **They had hurt her, but she still managed to save them from themselves. / Team 7/ /SasuSaku/

**Author's Note:** Hellooo lovely people, I'm StainedScarlet! This is my first ever fanfic, ooh so exciting! x) Just wanted to say thanks to my freakin awesome friend **CrimsonVanilla **for helping me out! Please, please, please review and tell me your honest opinion. I would very much appreciate some constructive criticism, rather than mean reviews :) I'm planning on making a chapter to show the bonds between Sakura and each member of team 7 so please stick around if you like this chapter! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1-Sasuke**

It started with Sasuke. Somehow it always revolved around him.

_Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke _

The boy she shamelessly fawned over.  
The boy who disregarded her.  
The boy who became her teammate.  
The boy who watched her back.  
The boy who left her on a damn cold bench.  
The boy who tried to kill her.

The boy she loved.

Yes. She hated to admit it but she was absolutely and pathetically in love with the damn Uchiha. What had stated out as a shallow infatuation with the incredibly cool Sasuke Uchiha, had slowly changed. Through grueling training and missions that tested their limits, she learned his many stregnths along with his weaknesses. She had accepted him as he really was, and she truly fell in love with him.

Even after he tried to kill her, she just couldn't make herself give up on him. She knew no matter how twisted and broken he was, deep down he was still Sasuke. She couldn't help the faint spouts of hope for his return and the urge run in pursuit of him and bring him back, because _this _was were he belonged. It haunted her day and night and the stress had started to take a toll on her. There were too many nights she would be scared awake by emotionless crimson eyes and the flashing white light of the chidori. She had tried so hard but she couldn't just stop caring about him. So instead she shoved her love down into the back of her mind and tried to ignore it.

When she heard news that he had declared to destroy Konoha, she was almost thrown into a fit of uncontrollable emotion. She wanted to scream, deny that it was true. She wanted break the wall next to her and frustration and desperation, or bolt out of Konoha in reckless search for him. She wanted to cry. But she was different now, stronger mentally and physically. As a proud shinobi, she couldn't act so immature and irrationally. She kept a strained neutral face while Naruto yelled furiously beside her. She put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, trying not to break down. Bowing to Tsunade she left the room, silently letting the gears in her mind turn.

* * *

She had _that _ feeling again. That same one she got the day he left the village. It was a twisting in her gut that told her something horrible was going to happen, and she knew exactly what it what it was. She retreated from the cozy haven of her covers and prepared herself.

She walked down the streets, taking note of the buildings she passed by, even though they were all locked up tight for the night. The fish stand, Nakamura-san's house, the shop that sold her favorite tea, a weapons store, and the cute little bakery that she had lunch with Ino on Tuesday. She smiled fondly as she saw them.

She found herself at the gates of Konoha. It was the middle of the night, the sky was clear and the air cool on her skin. She stood outside of the gate, emotions whirling madly in her head. She considered the rate that her plan would work and hoped it would not be in vain.

He appeared in all his glory and luckily he came alone. He was even more muscular, elegant and handsome than before, but he did not have the same aura from their days as teammates. He was so much colder now. It hurt her to see him stuck in the darkness like that.

"Move", he warned, his cold but familiar voice pulled at her heart. Only a few years ago she would have done anything to be in his good graces. Get off you? Anything for you, Sasuke-kun! Go away? Okay, Sasuke-kun! Shut up? Of course, Sasuke-kun!

"No."

"You know I won't hesitate anymore", he said his signature chidori coming to life in the palm of his hand. Flashes of lightning illuminated his pale face, which held a blank expression. The sound of chirping birds filled their ears.

"I know", she said, refusing to move.

She watched him charge at her and for a split second, doubt shot through her.

Sakura was predictable. He already knew what she would do. He was sure she would dodge his attack and run away in pathetic tears, but with every foot closer he got with her still not moving, something stirred in the pits of his stomach. Of course he was sill serious about not holding back. He looked into her familiar jade eyes and watched them draw nearer.

Sasuke was coming closer and closer, but her feet stayed planted in the same spot. Between the three feet before he would reach her, she locked eyes with him and jumped forward too. The pain was searing, shredding through her stomach and she choked back a cry. The light of the justu flickered away and they stood just inches apart face to face, his arm drilled completely through her abdomen. He stood frozen, eyes widened in surprise.

He could feel her blood coating his arm and if he was anyone else, he would have thrown up then and there. They sat in a silince that seemed to strech on forever, and the only sound was Sakura's labored breathing.

"Why?"he found himself asking, staring at where his hand dissapeared.

She coughed hard, blood spouting from her mouth before she looked up at him. He saw so much emotion in those fading green eyes. She smiled painfully at him, but still didn't say anything. Surprisingly she edged herself closer to him, driving his arm through her flesh more with every inch. The sentaion of blood and torn flesh making him feel strange. Slowly she wrapped her trembling arms around him and pulled him into an awkward hug. She squeezed him with the rest of herstrength.

"I know how you are Sasuke. I could yell and kick and scream all I want, but words would never get through to you. . .", she faded off into a series of coughs. Her hug was weaker now, but remained unwavering and firm.

"Actions do speak louder than words, I suppose", she whispered, leaning her forehead on his shoulder for support.

"Sasuke", she called weakly, "Just this once listen to me. You remember right? Kakashi-sensei told you revenge wouldn't bring you happiness. So with Itachi, did it?" she paused to gasp in more air as he sat in her embrace, remembering Itachi's death and the truth of his clan's murder.

"I know it didn't because now you're hurting so much that you want to destroy Konoha, innocent people, your friends, your _home_. You don't need this hate. It's only going to hurt you and anyone you care about. . . This isn't what you want Sasuke."

"Don't act you understand", he growled.

"No, I don't understand. I couldn't possibly imagine what you went through, but I know you. You want revenge, but not because you're evil. You want revenge because you lost people you loved and are so incredibly sad."

He noticed her voice growing softer. "You don't know me."

She chuckled slightly and pulled away to face him. "I do. Because I know you aren't evil. You don't really want this. Look at me and tell me this is what you want! You are not heartless, Sasuke. You didn't really mean this, did you?", she said, holding his blood covered arm that still impaled her.

During the time when they both came to each other with the intent to kill, he hadn't felt like this. At that time, he couldn't recall any feelings, not even of hate. He was left with just a cold, numb feeling. He had been numb, with only a goal to push him through every day: his revenge. But now as he realized he had actually gone through with his threats, he somehow felt sick to his stomach.

Had he meant to hurt her? He had warned her, and anyone who got in the way of his plans had to be eliminated. There was no mercy. There was only his revenge.

. . .But this, this was Sakura. She had always been weak, she had always needed his protection. Nobody had the chance to hurt her like this, because he had protected her. It was different this time.

He had done this to her.

He opened his mouth, not sure if he was able to answer her question or not. But she was already falling. _Down, down, down._

He caught her impulsively. It was as if they were genin again; his muscles automatically remembering the motions to help her. He gingerly pulled his arm free of her , picked her up gently and, without much thought, sped into Konoha for help.

He was in the hospital within seconds, blasting through the doors, eyes ablaze with Sharingan.

"Help her",he growled to the nurses.

Now you could imagine the types of reactions the nurses would have seeing the traitor Uchiha carrying The Hokage's apprentice Sakura Haruno, both a bloody mess and the latter dying or possibly dead.

"HELP HER!", he roared, Sharingan spinning madly.

Finally a sensible nurse came around and started barking out orders.

"Get Operating Room 3 ready! What the fuck are you standing around gaping like fish out of water for? Do you want Sakura-sama to die?! For the love of god somebody get Shizune-sama and Hokage-sama!"

The hospital burst into a frenzy and a nurse tried to pry Sakura's limp form from him. He glared dangerously at the person.

"U-um Uchiha-san we must get Sakura-sama to the operating room immediately", she explained urgently.

He reluctantly gave her up and sat down in the waiting area. He saw Tsunade rush by, scanning over him for a split second before turning away into the double doors were Sakura was.

Naruto and Kakashi appeared, both frantic. Seeing him only made the situation worse. When the blonde locked eyes with him, he burst into a wave of fury. His normally happy eyes hardened, fingers formed fists, and his whole body tensed into a fighting stance.

"Teme! What the hell did you do to Sakura-chan?!", he screamed.

He chose to ignore the idiot and Kakashi had to hold Naruto back from doing anything reckless. Surprisingly, neither of the two said anything further, but he didn't miss the disappointed look in his former sensei's eye. They just sat down beside him and waited anxiously. Sakura's last question resonated in his mind and shook something deep within him.

"_You didn't really mean this, did you?"_

* * *

There had been two times when they almost lost her. He knew by the even more frantic sounding shouts and the long, extending beeps that came from behind those double doors. Had she given up on living anymore? Was it because she truly believed that he wanted her dead? . . .There was no way he could want kill Sakura. She was just too innocent and too vulnerable. She needed protection. But. . she had gotten in the way of his revenge, and look where he was now. . . . no. . . no. He couldn't do it. Suddenly his revenge wasn't worth this, although he refused to admit to himself what 'this' was.

Tsunade came out of the room 4 hours later, looking bloodied, tired, and a scowl was settling on her face.

"Is she okay, Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi asked nervously.

"Sakura's lost a lot of blood and the Chidori did some serious damage some of her internal organs, but she's stable now", she sighed out, taking her gloves off.

Sasuke didn't know why, but the news of Sakura made him feel. . better?

Naruto jumped up immediately. "Can we go see her now baa-chan?"

The Sannin looked warily at the raven haired boy, but saw actual _emotions_ in those black orbs and waved them off to see her apprentice.

"You better not stress her more or I'll be after your hides!", she called out to them as they hurried down the hallway.

* * *

She was aware of the pain, it was an agonizing and relentless throbbing in her abdomen. But every shinobi knew that pain meant they were still alive and she took a deep breath. It was afternoon the next day when she woke, the last of the sun's rays splashed onto her face and she groaned. The familiar atmosphere of white and nauseating smell of disinfectant told her she was in the hospital. Something moved beside her and she jumped when her eyes landed on Sasuke sitting in a chair beside her bed. He shifted in his chair and ran a hand though his spikey raven locks. He didn't meet her eyes when he spoke.

"No."

She looked at him in confusion, but he made no move to add any other comment. Their eyes finally met and his eyes told her he what failed to say.

_I didn't mean it._

She smiled and closed her eyes,"I know."


	2. Naruto

**Of Hugs**** and Battle Scars**

By:StainedScarlet

**Disclaimer: **Day 4852 and I still don't own Naruto ;-;

**Author's Note: **Haaaii! I'd just like to thank anyone who took the time to read this! You have no idea how excited I get when people read this! Thanks to **carmen812,**** CrimsonVanilla, erzams, **and **Elodia900 **for reveiwing last time :DThanks a ton to everyone who followed/faved this story! Without further delay, here's chapter 2!

* * *

**Chapter 2-Naruto**

It had been 7 months since Sasuke's return. Her wounds had healed nicely, not that she enjoyed her stay at the hospital. The Hokage had been kind in Sasuke's punishments and had only put him under house arrest with ANBU on guard 24/7 for three months. He grumbled, but his teammates visted him in his lonely estate and the sentence passed quickly. Ater that, Sasuke had been on parole until today. In the past month he had taken the chunnin exams and easily passed along side Naruto.

Today was finally going to be their first mission back together as Team 7, now that the Uchiha was permitted to leave the village. Everything was finally getting back to normal and absolutely nothing was going to ruin her mood.

"Such incompetence!" an elder nurse insulted.

Not even this old bat was going to get her down. She faked a smile and slowly counted to ten in her head. "Excuse me Hiroshi-san, but I this antidote requires exactly four grams of zinc sulfate, not six."

"Why should I trust an inexperienced bimbo like you? I've been studying medicine since before you were born!" the older woman remarked snidely. Sakura felt her eybrow twitch in frustration.

"We can call Tsunade-shishou if that is what you wish, but I'm sure she won't be pleased with you not trusting the apprentice she herself taught. Not only wasting her time but also so outrightly putting her mentoring skills into question, my you are bold," she said calmly with a small smirk appearing on her lips.

The small woman stuttered an incoherent excuse before she huffed and stormed away. Sakura let out a hearty laugh. She stored her completed antidote in a cabinet and locked it before making her way to the Hokage's office for her mission briefing.

She opened the door to see her two teammates, her mentor, and Kakashi jumping in through the window.

"Yo."

Naruto immediatly began yelling at his former sensei, who tried to look guilty while rubbing the back of his head and Sasuke sat on the side mumbling insults at the two's antics. She burst into a fit of giggles at the sight. It was like old times.

"Hey, hey, don't laugh at us Sakura-chan!" her orange clad friend wcomplained

"Dobe."

"WHAT WAS THAT TEME?"

"Stop yelling Naruto! You're going to make us all deaf!" Tsunade yelled ironically. She cleared her throat and began reading from a scroll.

"Your first mission as Team 7 again is a simple C-rank mission. You'll be escorting Ryuu Yamamoto-san back to his home in the country side. Kakashi's the team leader. Report at the gates at six sharp tomorrow morning," she said, handing the scroll to the masked man.

"Aww baa-chan, that's too easy!" Naruto interrupted.

"Don't call me that!" Tsunade growled. Sakura automatically smacked him on the head.

"Anyways, you can't go much higher than that because two certain people are only ranked Chunin", she explained, giving a pointed look to the two guilty.

Naruto gave a confused look. "Huh? Granny can't you count? It's me, Sakura-chan, and teme!"

"Actually Naruto, Sakura's recently been promoted to Jonnin", Kakashi explained.

"NANI?"

She stuck up two fingers in a victory sign and smiled, which faltered seeing Sasuke's calculating stare. She knew he was sizing her up. He really didn't believe she was Jonnin now. Whatever, she would show him.

Tsunade eyed her apprentice,"Sakura, where you working extra shifts at the hospital again?"

Sakura looked down to see her white coat still on and sweat dropped. "Funny story about that Tsunade-shishou. . . ," she trailed off, looking for an excuse.

The Hokage's eyebrow twitched in irritaion.

"GO HOME AND REST YOU STUPID GIRL!"

* * *

"Wow, baa-chan really chewed you out on that one, didn't she?" Naruto laughed as they walked away from the Hokage tower.

"Yeah, but I really did have a good reason this time!" Sakura complained.

"It's foolish to over work yourself," Sasuke scoffed from beside her.

"What'd you say?!" she yelled, pushing up the sleeve of her coat, fist begining to glow.

"Woah, wait Sakura-chan!" The blonde said, holding back her arm,"What teme means is that we don't want you to stress too much and hurt yourself. We're just worried about you, right Sasuke-teme?"

Sasuke turned his head away from the conversation and said nothing. The rosette pulled her arm free and huffed in annoyance.

"Hey, let's go get some ramen!" Naruto bounced up and down excitedly.

"Sorry Naruto, I need to get home and rest some. Shishou is probably watching me," she looked put at the windows of the Hokage tower and shivered.

"Ja ne!" she waved good-bye to her teammates and began to walk home.

Naruto turned to his raven haired friend with hopeful eyes. "Teme?"

"Get the ramen yourself, dobe."

* * *

Their mission had turned out to be just a simple escort. Ryuu-san had been easy to work for and they had returned him to his home on the second day of their trip. It was child's play for ninja of their caliber, especially since there weren't any encounters on ther way.

"Waahhh I can't believe that town had no ramen!" Naruto whined, leaping to the next tree branch in the direction home.

Sasuke scoffed,"Idiot."

And that kicked off one of their famous fights. She sighed, trying to tune out their bickering. She counted the small thump sounds that their feet made as they landed on the tree branches. One, two, three, four. . . . one, two, three, four . . .one, two, three, four. . five?

"Kakashi-sensei!"

They met eyes and he nodded in understanding. Suddenly, she felt a flash of unfamiliar chakra behind her.

"Watch out!" she warned her teammates.

She bagan to turn towards it, kunai already prepared, but before she could face the nin there was a pressure on her neck, and then there was nothing.

* * *

When she came to, she was bound by the arms and someone was holding her in a half up right position. She jolted to her sences and tried to break free, but to her luck the nin holding was extremely buff.

"Let them go!", she heard Naruto shout.

She looked around and saw Kakashi ans Saauke restrained also. A katana qas presssed against her neck."Remember, if you try anything she gets it," a nin said to them. So that's why they weren't doing anything.

She glanced around, spotting a furious Naruto fending off multiple enemies to get to them. She stiffened when his cerulean eyes bled into crimson and his body formed a bubbling red cloak around it.

"Naruto, no!", their former sensei yelled.

She knew it was extremely dangerous when Naruto got like this. He would eventually lose his own consciousness and kill anyone in his path.

_'Shit,' _she thought as she watched a third bubbling red tail grow. She pulled harder against the man's hold, again with no luck.

"Sakura, calm down. We have a plan," Sasuke whispered.

"No! I have to help him! He isn't aware of himself right now, the kyuubi is taking over him, Sasuke!" she explained. She didn't care about their plan. The situation had just gotten much more drastic and she needed to get to Naruto, _now_.

Her dark haired teammate was silent as he took in this new information. Suddenly Naruto with three tails flashed in front of them, grabbing the rouge nin holding them and flinging them forefully. Immediately, Kakashi and Sasuke lept back to a safe distance, but Sakura stayed put. She stared directly into his eyes, searching for any hint of her best friend.

She imagined his normally cheerful face, scrunched up in agony once he realized what he had unconsciously done and she knew she absolutely had to help him.

"Sakura, get out of there! You know he can't control himself like this!" Kakashi warned, preparing a seal.

"Don't use the seal yet. I know he can control it, just give me a little time," she pleaded, dodging a swipe from his claw-like hands. She wouldn't stand helplessly on the side lines anymore. She would bring back her Naruto with her own two hands.

Sasuke tensed, fingers itching to just throw Sakura over his shoulder and get her the hell out of there. What the hell did she think she was going to accomplish? Kakashi gave him a stern look, so he stood back and reluctantly let her do what she wanted.

Naruto let out a pained howl and she knew she had to act fast before the kyuubi's chakra hurt him any further. She jumped out of the way and watched as a tree was obliterated by his stregnth. Sharp shreds of splintered wood flew every which way.

"Stop Naruto! You don't need to rely on this power!" she shouted, trying to get through to him.

He let out another roar and the fourth tail began to form. The red cloak darkened into scarlet (hehe that's me :3) and began to devour Naruto's form. She cringed at the mostly human scream he let out before his face was covered and his eyes were replaced with glowing white orbs. It lunged for her, pouncing like an animal, and she barely got out of the way in time.

"I know you're in there dammit! You have to control it!"

It swiped at her again, only this time she hadn't reacted fast enough. Its claws sliced through the flesh of her thigh, creating four long cuts and punturing deep. The force of its power sent her flying back and she landed hard onto the ground, sliding a couple more feet in the dirt.

"Sakura!" she heard Sasuke call out to her. Aw, he did care.

"Sasuke, I'm the jonin here, not you~ ," she teased as she got up.

Within milliseconds it was hovering over her, low growls emitting from it's throat. It grabbed her by the neck and held her up, its hot breath puffed onto her face and ragged breaths.

She could tell Naruto was no longer concious but still tried to break though to him. She was awarded with a punch in the face. Fun, thanks Naruto. Her body smashed into a nearby tree she felt it crack under the pressure. She fell to the ground weakly. It came to strike her again, but she forced herself up off the ground and lunged at it quickly.

When she was within reach, it raised it's fiery claws and smacked her, sending her tumbling into the dirt. She was getting desperate. What could she do? Was she still so damn useless? No. No! She was going to help Naruto. She wasn't going to let him do this, only for him to feel so heartbreakingly guilty afterwards. She was going to repay him for everything he's done for her. She was going to get her best friend back!

She winced as she dragged herself up from the ground. Her expression hardened and she let out a battle cry as she lunged toward the beast.

"SHANNARO! WAKE UP NARUTO!" she cried, as a chakra infused punch landed it its face.

It went flying, smashing through several trees, before it skidded unto the ground. It layed prone on the ground and Sakura landed next to it, panting. Slowly, she leaned down to pick him up.

The nine-tails' chakra was hot on her skin but she held on, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She had no idea what to do or say, but she wanted her happy-go-lucky idiot back.

"Naruto, you have to stop this. You have to rely on your own power to protect us, or else you'll end up hurting us without meaning to," she told him, she imagined his bright blue eyes dulled with sadness and regret and it pained her more than the burning kyuubi chakra.

The beast that was her teammate paused and it's glowing eyes stared intently at her. After a moment, a voice that sounded like Naruto's mixed with a monster spoke.

"Sakura-chan?"

Then the red cloak began to seep away, slowly revealing a severely burned Naruto in her equally burned arms. She saw his blue eyes return to normal before he lost conciousness and fell limp against her.

She lay him down gently, the wound in her leg and both her arms giving a burning sensation that she tried to ignore. She immediately got into medic mode and barely noticed Sasuke's and Kakashi's arrival.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked worriedly. She nodded, still focusing on her blonde friend's wounds.

Sasuke gave her a weary look before letting the subject drop. Sakura focused chakra to her hands and pumped it vigourously through his body. Naruto's burns healed quickly, destroyed skin peeling off and being replaced by new, unmarred skin . He didn't have any other major injuries, but the kyuubi chakra was brutal, seeping into the wounds and took awhile to fully heal.

"He needs more treatment, but he's fine," she reported, forcing herself to stand on her injured leg. "Let's get home."

"What about you?", Kakashi asked picking up Naruto and putting him on his back.

"Not enough chakra, but I'm fine," she reassured. Sasuke was right through her lie, and decided it would be best to stay near her during the rest of the trip back to Konoha. She managed to fight off the pain long enough to start onto the path home. They glided easily through the trees and they were fast approaching their home.

Suddenly, her injured leg gave out from under her and she tried to stop her fast descent to the hard ground. Swiftly she flung out her arm to grip a nearby branch where she hung for a moment to slow her rapidly beating heart. She spotted her teammates' frantic looks as she started to pull herself up.

"I'm oka-"

There was a jolt of pain from her burned arm that flooded her senses and she lost her grip on the branch. She could see trees whipping by fast in her vision and braced for impact. She felt two strong arms wrap around her and the falling sensation stopped.

"Sakura."

Finally she opened her eyes and looked up to see Sasuke, holding her securely. Her face flushed.

"S-sasuke," she stuttered.

"I told you not to over work yourself," he replied, not looking at her. He began leaping through the trees besides Kakashi with her still in his arms.

"Thanks but I can , uh, walk," Sakura said, embarrassed.

"Tch, annoying," he replied simply.

"EXCUSE ME? I'm not that weak little girl you left behind!"she screeched furiously. He didn't say anything and kept carrying her.

"Sasu-"

"I know."

"-ke! . . . What?"

He looked at her, expression serious,"You're always the one looking out for others. You should learn to let someone look out for you too."

Sasuke smugly carried Sakura the rest of the way home.

* * *

The blonde boy blinked his blue eyes, registering where he was and what had happened. A sinking feeling settled into his gut as he remembered the past events.

"Hey Naruto, you awake?"

He turned his head to face the voice. "Eh, Sakura-chan? What're you doing here?

The girl in the bed beside his smiled sheepishly ,"Nothing really, Tsunade-shishou won't let me leave until I get a few hours of rest. I wanted to keep an eye on you too."

He looked down at his lap, scrunching his hands in the sheets of the hospital bed. "It was me, wasn't it?" he asked, looking at the bandages covering both her arms. He was sure there were more hidden underneath her hospital gown. He heard a long sigh escape her lips.

"Yes and no. It was your body, but it wasn't you."

"It was still me though, the kyuubi is part of me. I hurt you, I'm so sorry Sakura-chan," he said. His gaze returned to his fisted hands.

"Naruto, I had pently of chances to get away."

". .What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that obviously I got hurt because I chose not to run away, baka."

"Why?"

She laughed then. Not a small giggle or a simple laugh, but a full-on-slapping-the-knees-and-snorting kind of laugh. She looked up at him with a red face as her laughter began to subside.

"You're a bigger idiot than I thought."

"Hey! Sakura-chaann!" he whined.

"Naruto." She had a serious face again and she moved to sit on the edge of her bed, facing him.

"Why wouldn't I try to help you? After everything we've been through together, after all the times you picked me up from the dirt. I love you, baka. You're my best friend. A few scratches are worth it for your happiness. I'd take a thousand chidori for it. Hell, I'd even read Kakashi-sensei's perverted Icha Icha books!"

His blue eyes watered and he siffled a little, looking down again at his hands in his lap. He heard sounds of her moving around a bit before arms wrapped around him from the side. "Aw don't cry Naruto."

He lifted his arms to hug her around her middle."I-im n-not crying."

* * *

**End note: **Hehehe so I really don't know where that ending came from, it just kinda happenedCx Hopefully you liked it! Well, wether you did or not, please leave a reveiw and tell me what you think. It really helps out! Shout out to my buddy **CrimsonVanilla** for her constant support! She's got the cutest Kuroko no Basuke fic if you're interested!

~StainedScarlet


	3. Kakashi

**Of Hugs and Battle Scars**

By: StainedScarlet

**Disclaimer: **Yeah.. you caught me. I don't own Naruto :(

**Authors Note: **Hii again wonderful readers :3 I'm so happy people are actually reading this! Thank you! Internet hugs to **CrimsonVanilla, erzams, Elodia900, griffinfork93, **and **Q-e17 **for reviewing! Also thank you so much to everyone who followed and faved :))Just hit 1,000 views! *cries tears of joy* Disclaimer for possible spoilers if you haven't read the manga o.o Please read end note if something doesn't make sense c:

* * *

**Chapter 3- Kakashi**

Kakashi stood gazing at the Memorial Stone on an overcast evening. The wind blew gently as he stared at the two names that haunted him every day.

_Obito Rin Obito Rin Obito Rin Obito Rin_

He found himself at a complete loss. He could feel his sadness weighing him down and the burden of it felt heavier by the day. He found himself dwelling about the past more often. Now that things had settled down in Konoha, there was little to distract him. The jounin couldn't control the thoughts that constantly flooded in his mind.

He found himself feeling more guilty than usual about the deaths of his teammates.

It had always been all his fault. He couldn't save Obito and had gotten his left eye. The Sharingan only seemed to serve as a constant reminder of his failure these days. Obito had entrusted the girl he loved to him. He was supposed to protect Rin, he promised. But in the end he had failed at that too. In the end, he had been the one to kill Rin.

For the first time in his life, he wondered if it would be easier to end it all and hope that he'd find them on the other side. He had never concidered suicide before, it seemed too cowardly. But to end this seemingly endless cycle of self hate and regret day by day, he felt he may do just about anything. Calmly he held his palm up and let lightning flicker to life. Rin, Obito, and Minato-sensei, he could be with them again. There would be no more pain. He watched the sparks dance in his hand before numbly bringing it up to his neck.

There was a rush of wind and a person placed themselves between him and the chidori. Thin arms wrapped themselves around his neck and a petite form pressed itself into his own. As soon as he realized what had happened he cancelled the jutsu.

"Sakura."

The girl let go of her embrace on him. "You're late!" she yelled with her disapproving, yet cheery attitude.

He sighed and looked her over to make sure she was okay. "You're bleeding. How serious is it?" he asked.

She waved him off and smiled, "It's fine, it's fine. Burns a little though." Small streams of blood trickled down from the top of her shoulder to the collar of her shirt and down her arm. Thankfully he had cancelled the jutsu before she had been injured too drastically.

Kakashi knew all of the signs to look for if Sakura was lying. He was, after all, a very perceptive man. A slight twitch of her fingers before they began to curl into a fist, biting of her lip, her smile just a little too wide, too forced. He however, saw none of these signs. They fell into a small silence for a moment.

"You could've told us, you know," she lectured.

He looked at her with a what-are-you-talking-about-I'm-totally-innocent look and began to walk towards the training grounds. She began to walk with him and punched his shoulder lightly.

"Come on Kakashi-sensei, we would've understood why you were always late to training," she said, motioning back at the memorial stone.

His visible eye crinkled and she assumed he was smiling. "It's a sad day indeed when you have become the wise sensei and I, the idiotic student. My little Sakura is all grown up," he joked.

"Don't try and change the subject!" she yelled before she quieted into silence as she collected her thoughts.

"I've noticed," she finally said.

Sakura had noticed all the slight changes in her former sensei because she was, after all, a very perceptive woman. She noticed how he would be a little more quiet and unattached during team 7 gatherings. He too had begun to take up the fake smiles she'd started using too often. She saw the mischievous glint dissapear completely from his lone visible eye. His perverted books wasn't even his top priority anymore. When had been the last time she saw him reading it? She couldn't remember. It was like a nightmare.

She stopped walking and looked at him with a scared expression. "It's like you're slowly fading away."

He couldn't find the words to respond with, but she didn't seem to want an answer anyway. She only wanted him to reflect on her words. The pink haired girl began walking towards the training grounds, leaving him to think about what she had said. As they walked together, Sakura didn't say anything about what had occured. She didn't bring up his attempted suicide and she didn't prod at what she knew was bothering him. She spoke to him in a casual way that told him thay she didn't think of him as any different. Sakura also wiped away the blood but didn't heal her wound, almost like saying everything was good and clean between them, as well as an acknowledgment of the incident that had just happened. Because it really had happened and she wasn't going ignore it or forget it anytime soon.

* * *

"I can pay for myself Sasuke!"

"Hn."

"Hey teme! Why won't you pay for me too?!"

"You've already eaten five bowls, dobe. There's no way I'm paying for you."

"That's no fair teme! You're alway doting on Sakura-chan! What's so special about her? Hellooo, best friend over here!"

"NARUTOOO!"

Kakashi smiled, watching his team bicker during their lunch together at none other than Ichiraku. They all had grown up into pretty fine shinobi, if he did say so himself. Even if they were still a bit immature.

Sasuke had long ago let go of all his anguish and resentment. Thanks to his two loving teammates, his heart has slowly but surely healed. He had been promoted to Jounin and had begun to plan for the reconstruction of the Uchiha police force.

Naruto somehow had managed to become Jounin too. He was as happy as ever, especially since he got particularly close to a certain Hinata Hyuuga. Unknown to most of the village, Naruto was also undergoing Hokage training under the strict hand of Tsunade.

Sakura was also a Jounin. Kakashi smiled fondly at her. He was proud of the fact she had beaten her friends and been appointed jounin a whole year before them. With Naruto's Hokage training, Tsunade had less time on her hands. She proudly handed over the reins of the hospital to Sakura, who successfully upheld her title of head medic. She felt his gaze and looked at him, eyes brimming with concern.

Ever since that day, Sakura had started watching him like a hawk. She would give him this look as she evaluated his current mental state, go back to what she was doing, and then reevaluate it minutes later. He also learned that she had this impeccable skill of having conversations with people without saying a single word.

Her head tilted to the side just slightly. _Are you okay sensei?_

He gave a small smile. _I'm fine Sakura._

A pink eyebrow raised. _Are you really?_

"Sakura, eat your food. It's getting cold," Sasuke scolded. She was startled by his sudden comment and their "conversation" ended.

"Oh! Thanks Sasuke," she smiled picking up her chopsticks, and resumed eating her miso ramen.

It may not have looked like it, but Sasuke was always looking out Sakura's well being. Kakashi didn't know what exactly had gone on the night Sasuke returned, but since then he had been rather protective of the pink haired girl. In his own strange way, of course.

The fact that they were only 18 years of age and so successful made pride swell in his chest. He wondered if his genin team could've ended up like this. The resemblance of Obito in Naruto, Rin in Sakura, and himself in Sasuke was almost eerie. Regret bagan build in his heart again. He sighed and payed for his meal, preparing to leave silently.

"Kakashi-sensei."

He paused. "Yes Sakura?"

"Where are you going?"

He turned around to face her. Now all three's attention was focused on him. Her expression was a mix of disapproval and concern. He had been caught red handed.

"I've been summoned by the Hokage," he said nonchalantly.

Sakura got up and started digging in her pocket for money to pay for her lunch, "I'll go with you then."

She searched for the right coins for a second before Sasuke grabbed her hand. "I told you, I'll pay."

They sat staring at each other, the Uchiha seemed just as unwavering as the rosette. She must have found the reason he was so relentless because she smiled, moving her hand from her pocket to his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sasuke!" she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. His eyes widened slightly at the bold move and his tips of his ears reddened.

"Me too, Sakura-chan!" Naruto laughed, pointing to a wiskered cheek.

"Eww", Sakura said with a disgusted face, but pecked his cheek never the less.

"Thought you could get away, didn't you?", she said playfully, catching up to him. Sakura knew from the start that he didn't have an appointment with the Hokage. They walked casually through town, thoughts of the past still floating vaguely through his head.

"Hey sensei."

Kakashi sighed. He told her not to call her that anymore. She had already become his equal some time ago. He noded at her to continue.

"I've been thinking. . wouldn't it be better if I just died?"

They stopped walking and Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. He grabbed her by the shoulder,"Sakura, no! How could you say something like that? We all would be devastated."

"Even if I did something horrible? Something I couldn't forgive myself of?" she asked, looking at the ground.

"Sakura, whatever it is I'm sure you don't deserve to die! Naruto, Sasuke, and I need you. We need each other. We would never be the same without you."

She was quiet as she took in his words. "Where did this come from?" he asked.

Unexpectedly, she smiled. "There's your answer Kakashi-sensei!"

His hand dropped from her shoulder. "What?"

"What I said, that's how you feel. Right?"

He was sure his mouth would be gaping if not for his mask. Sakura's increasing insightfulness was astonishing. Apparently she was quite the actor too.

"But what you said to me, we feel the same thing about you. If you were gone, we wouldn't be the same. We're a team. We support each other and rely on each other. We want what's best for each other and will do anything to make each other happy," she said, glancing back at Ichiraku.

"And it's not just Naruto, Sasuke, and I. I'm sure that Obito-san and Rin-san felt that way too. They definitely wouldn't want you to die and they definitely wouldn't want you to live like this! Carrying so much regret and sadness, I'm sure they'd be heartbroken to see you like this. I know because if I died, I would want you, Sasuke, and Naruto to continue living as happily as possible."

His primary reaction had been to deny it. Rin and Obito had died because of him. Everything had been his fault! So why did Sakura's words make so much sense? He took a deep breath. Yes. Kakashi was a grown man as well as an a proud jounin of Konoha, and he had to think realistically now. No matter how much guilt he piled on himself, he couldn't ignorantly put off the rosette's words as lies. The rational part of his brain slowly pieced everything together. Obito had pushed him out of the way of the stone nin's attack, even at the cost of his own safety. Obito had only wanted to protect him. And Rin. . she had died to protect the entire village. She had made the ultimate sacrifice as a shinobi.

But the emotional side of his mind was still relentless. If only he had been stronger. He should have been quicker, he should have been wiser. If only he had been more careful, they would still be alive. He should have known, he should have known. He suffered from another wave of regret and anguish. He took a shaky breath to collect himself and turned to Sakura.

". . ." But he didn't know what to say to his former student. What could he say? He couldn't lie and tell her he was okay now. Sugar coating things for Sakura wasn't an option anymore. She simply wouldn't have it. He didn't necessarily feel better, but he didn't feel worse. He was silent still, but she smiled anyway.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. As long as you understand now. You do, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. . . Thank you," he replied eventually.

"Don't thank me yet. I only pointed something out for you and you're still not better yet either," she said. Yet again she had read his mind somehow. He sweat dropped at her bluntness.

"But Kakashi-sensei, I think you'll be better eventually. It'll just take time. You can't heal over night you know."

Her burning emerald eyes said that she wouldn't take no from him or anybody else. Looking at her determined expression, he already had faith. "You're right. I think I just need some time."

She had a big grin on her face and she began to walk again, leading him through the crowded street. "We want to be there for you," Sakura said as she took a deliberate left turn into an alley way. He found Naruto with his arms linked behind his head and Sasuke leaned up againat the wall, waiting for them. She walked up to joined the two and turned back to extend her hand to him,"if you'd let us."

He looked at them and once again saw Obito in Naruto's care free smile, Rin in Sakura's unconditional love, and himself in Sasuke's quiet loyalty. Just as Sasuke had mended his broken heart, Naruto had gained acceptance, and Sakura found her stregnth, together, Kakashi truely thought he could let go of the pain of the past and heal.

He reached forward and took her hand.

* * *

**End Note:** Oh my, what have I done? I made Kakashi depressed and suicidal O.O *cackles evilly* Man I'm just horrible cx So this story takes place as if Obito really did die and the war never occured. I also kinda googled how Rin died, so if you aren't caught up with the manga it might have been a little confusing. I really have no idea when I'll be able to update next. School's just started and I have so much homework T.T There's also tests in all of my classes this friday, except for one! :( Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! Thanks again for reading! :D

~StainedScarlet


	4. Sai

**Of Hugs and Battle Scars**

**By: **StainedScarlet

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, yeah, I know I don't own Naruto. .

**Author's Note:** OH MY GOD I AM SOOOOO SORRY! I know it's been like 2 months since I last updated. I reeaaalllyy am sorry. School is just. . .*cries*. Anyway thank you to everyone who fav, followed, and reviewed! You guys really make my day. Fo real, they're like little gifts of motivation.

* * *

**Chapter 4- Sai**

"Sai!"

Said boy turned to the voice. A bob of pink hair made its way into the small cafe.

"It's been a while!", she said with a smile as she sat down in the chair across from him.

It had. Sai had been working undercover in ROOT for the Hokage, and its demise had been inevitable. The organization was already working in shady business but after he had gathered a vast amount of evidence of its corruptness, Tsunade shut down the operation and locked Danzo away for good. In the past year Sai hadn't seen much of team 7, or anyone really.

He had learned during that time, that he had a stong dislike of solitude. He wasn't sure why though. Perhaps he had grown a little fond of the strong, and some what noisy, presence of his team. Sakura had explained it to him as the feeling of "loneliness". But that wasn't what was bothering him. It seemed that his loneliness was easy to cure, Sakura's presence now made him feel better.

"What did you need Sai?" Even though she played it off casually, he could tell she was worried. Her emerald eyes always burned strongly with raw emotion. Sai had always admired and envied that part of her. He supposed that was why he always felt more inclined to ask her for guidance when it came to emotions. Women were also more in tune with their feelings according to a book he had read.

"Ugly...," he trailed off, looking for the right words. A pink eyebrow twitched, but she waited patiently for him to continue.

"I feel. . disconnected from people."

"Can you explain a bit more?"

"Although I am quite comfortable around our team, I find myself not understanding the actions of people around me. I cannot comprehend the emotions they feel, nor the reasons to the things they do. I can clearly observe them, but that doesn't satisfy me. It is almost as is I were trapped in an invisible box. I'm with there with everyone, but. . ," he trailed off again, trying to understand his own feelings.

"But you aren't really a part of everyone?", Sakura concluded.

He thought for a moment and nodded in a agreement.

"So you want to be able to empathize with others?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure how I could go about doing that. Perhaps there is a book on that. . Thank you Ugly, I must go to the library and rearch 'empathy' now," he said, getting up in a hurry to leave.

She grabbed his arm and yanked him back into his seat,"Woah Sai, we're not done yet! How many times do I have to tell you, you're not gonna learn about people by holing yourself up in a library and reading books."

He cocked his head to the side slightly. "What do you think I should do then?"

Her face lit up suddenly and she stood up, "Let's go have barbecue!"

"Ugly, I still cannot comprehend how this will help me become more empathetic," Sai said to Sakura as they sat cramped in a booth at a yakiniku restaurant. After their talk at the coffe shop, the pink haired girl had dragged him across the village, inviting all of Konoha 11 plus Sasuke to eat out. For whatever reason, Saukra had insisted that the get together was relevant to his problem.

"The only way to understand people is to be around them! Lots of them!"

He sighed at his pradicament. There was no way out of it. He glanced at Sasuke, who had been forced by Sakura to go too. He sat irritated between his blonde and pinkette teammates, just as socially impared as himself. However he seemed to fit in just fine with the whole situation somehow. Naruto yelled boisterously, knocking into the Uchiha obnoxiously who wasn't paying attention, consequently falling staight into the medic's lap. That's right, that's how Sasuke fit into this jumbled puzzle. But where did that leave himself?

He glanced at the faces around the large table. He was aquainted with few, such as Bug-Lover and Dog Breath-san. A girl with buns in her hair yelled at the one in green spandex, although she didn't really seem upset. A man with a pinapple shapped head looked as if he were bored and about to fall asleep, while he was acctually listening intently to the blonde girl chatting away next to him. The Hyuuga girl wouldn't look Naruto in the eye as they talked, but Sai had been sure she was the one who Sakura said was in love with Naruto. These new people, stiuations, and emotions began whirling in him head as a jumbled mess.

If Buns was saying mean things, why did it seem her words held no true malice? And what was the point of Sleeping Pinapple to look bored but actually listen to Big Mouth? He could just sleep if he was so tired. Also, avoiding eye contact wasn't a good thing was it? But love was a good thing. So why had the Hyuuga girl put them together?

Sakura paused in her laughing to check on Sai. He looked as he always did, with a blank expression as usual. But something was off. She could tell he was uncomfortable with the situation. There was a hint of confusion swirling deep in his eyes. She must have been wrong to surround him with too many people he was only acquainted with.

She caught his eye, locked gazes with him and blinked once slowly and deliberately. _Stay here._

Sakura cleared her thoat before yelling,"Last one to leave has to pay!"

The place was cleared in a spilt second, they were sinobi after all, with an acception of Sai, Sasuke, and herself. Both dark haired males had mild what-the-fuck-Sakura? faces.

The Uchiha crossed his arms and raised an elegant eyebrow at her. "What are you doing Sakura?"

"I just needed to talk to Sai alone and that was the only thing I could think of", she said innocently.

He narrowed his eyes at the bewildered Sai before returning his attention to the pinkette. Why did she want to be alone with that guy of all people? That creepy fake smile had worked itself onto the ex-root member's face again. Che, great. He's probably a pervert who wants to get Sakura alone to-

"Sasuke?", Sakura asked, waving her hand infront of him to get his attention.

"Hn. I hope you realize you pave to pay for 13 meals now, and the dobe counts as 10 people at least."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't have to rub it in", she pouted dejectedly.

Sasuke returned his gaze to Sai, who still had that creepy fuckin smile on his face. He flashed the sharingan before turning to leave. Sai may have his trust as a team mate, but when it came to Sakura he could never be too careful. She was practically a walking magnet for chaos and disaster.

"So that didn't work like I wanted", the medic said, moving to sit across from Sai.

"It's alright Ugly. I didn't expect you to have a good idea to help me anyway."

**SMACK! **"As a matter of fact I have another idea that may work", she said to her team mate that was now laying face down on the next table over. The pale boy groaned. Sakura dragged Sai by the back of the collar of his shirt to the entrance of the restaurant, where the owner was. "Excuse me, I need to pay the tab for table 2", she said laughing sadly.

"Oh, Uchiha-san payed for it already when he left", the owner explained with a smile.

"O-oh Sasuke did?", she replied, pink flowering across her cheeks. Her blush could have easily been caused by anger or embarrassment, but Sai knew her well enough to know she still had strong affection for Sasuke. They exited the shop and Sakura led him to another shop down the street.

"What are we doing?", he asked when she stopped infront of a small restaurant.

"This is Ueda Atsuko-san!" Sakura introduced to Sai, turning so that a girl was in his view.. She was about their age with short, messy blonde hair and deep brown eyes.

". . .Ugly, is this one of those 'blind dates' dick-less told me about?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. It'll be fine! Atsuko-san has been asking me to see what I could do for her. She's been interested in you for a while, y'know", the medic teased.

". . I'm not sure about this", Sai said reluctantly.

"Well we gotta try, or else we won't know! One on one time with someone could work better than a huge group. Nothing romantic has to happen, just try to get to know them", Sakura insisted. He noded somewhat solemly and the girl latched on to him, pulling him into the restaurant eagerly.

The pale boy exited the shop with a smile plastered onto his face. Atsuko detached herdelf from his arm and blew a kiss. "See you around Sai-kun!" he said flirtatiously with a wink.

"Well that obviously didn't go well",Sakura sighed.

"How could you tell?"

"Sai, you still have that stupid fake smile on your face." At once his face slid back into its normal neutral face. "Don't be discouraged, we're not done yet!" The pinkette smiled.

Five. Sakura had set up five different blind dates for him. Ueda Atsuko had been just plain scary. As per his team mate's request, he attempted to get to know her. She took that as an invitation to flirt shamelessly with him. Atsuka had made outright attempts to grope him, continuously rubbed her leg up and down his, and hissed at the waitress when she asked for his order.

Tanaka Fuu had been a complete air head. Any conversation he attempted turned into her constant, meaningless babble. She really, really, really liked artists. He then attempted to converse about painting techniques, but was only informed about how 'pink is soooooo pretty, like the prettiest color ever.'

Ito Haruka hadn't said one word to him. She spent the whole time drawing in a small sketchbook, not even giving him a second glance. He thought he could relate to her through art, but she ignored his questions. They sat in complete silence, with an exeption of the scratching of her pencil on paper.

Minami Junko was quiet. Very quiet. At first she had simply sat down and kept her head down. When he attempted to strike conversation, she meekly answered in one or two word answers. Sai stopped asking her about herself when she began to stare at him. She didn't say anything, just stared with wide eyes. He didn't say anything either.

Sato Souta was male. Sakura had apparently not wanted to offend offend him, incase he did have a preference to men. Sai choked on his water when Souta had sat down across from him, claiming to be his date. The ex-ROOT member spent a good 3 minutes politely and carefully explaining that "no he did not have an intrest in men", and he was sorry for the misunderstanding. He couldnt recall a time he had ever fled a place so quickly, and he was sure his calm expression had completely shattered into baffled and slightly scared.

The man chased after him angrily, pulling a steaming pan of food from a passing chef. Souta dumped the food on the groud and attempted to hit on Sai with the burning cooking utensil, who narrowly missed. Saukra appeared between the two as Souta swung again, placing her arm up. The scorching metal clacked against the back of her hand and forearm and she punched it away as it came down for another strike. With blazing eyes she yanked the pan from him and used it as a bat, using the flat side to smack him acoss the face, sending him flying down the market street. "Jesus, if Sai's not a little gay-boy like you thought, you should just accept it!" she yelled to him.

The medic then grabbed the clearly frightened Sai and took him to a vacant training field. He sat down, resting his head on his knees. "I do not wish to do anymore today."

She ran her good hand though her hair and sighed, sitting down next to him. "I'm really sorry Sai, it was a bad idea. I should've known what would make you uncomfortable. Don't worry, I'll think of something. Maybe Yoshida-san from phyciatrics would know something. . I have the rest of the night off, I'll find some books on empathy", she faded into rambling to herself.

Sai looked up at the mumbling girl. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and she had begun to knaw on her lower lip. A strange feeling came over him. He hadn't question her behavior or motives. He didn't feel he had to. She was trying so hard to help him just because she was. . was. . . _Sakura_. There was no other way to describe it. This whole thing was just such a _Sakura _thing to do.

There was a sharp intake of air at this relevation. People's actions and behaviors were always a puzzle he struggled to put together, to understand the big picture of his feelings and the emotions of people around him. However, after spending enough time with team 7 he no longer had to consciously think about it. This whole time he hadn't been analyzing: Sakura was helping him because she wanted him to be happy, she wanted him to be happy because he was her team mate, she wanted her team mates to be happy beacuse she cares for them.

Understanding the pinkette had become so much less complicated than he remembered. Although there were things he couldn't understand what reasoning she could have for, still being in love with Sasuke for example, looking back at when they first met he understood her on a level he would've never imagined.

He reached out for her with a quickening of his hearbeat and a happy feeling spreading in his body. "Sakura-!", he nearly shouted but refrained.

She turned her attention to him immidately, jumping at the urgency in his voice. "What's wrong Sai? Are you okay?" There was concern sparkling in her eyes again.

He fiddled around in his excitement for a moment hesitanly,"I- uh, it's alright. I think I understand now."

"What? Really!? That's great! What did you think of?"

"Well, I think you've been right all along for once Ugl-", he was interrupted momentarily by a relatively soft punch to the arm. "I would appreciate it if you didn't interrupt me, seeing as it was you who asked me a question."

Sakura sighed in defeat and gestured for him to continue.

"As I was saying, you told me before we even started with all of this today. That I could only learn about people by interacting with them, rather than reading books." She nodded in confirmation to his words.

"Before, I would have wondered why you you were so eager to help me. Then I would ponder thoughout the whole day over your reasons to assist me and how it could benefit you in some way. But today I didn't think of anything like that. And then when I realized this I didn't go back and wonder why I didn't need to figure out your behaviors or emotions. I feel as though I understand some of your feelings." She smiled hearing this thoughts. She was glad that they had grown closer and that she could somehow help him with his problems.

"After spending a lot of time together along with dick-less, traitor, and Kakashi, we have created a bond too. That's why we can understand eachother. Right?" He asked uncertainly, not wanting to overstep a boundary.

"Of course!", she shouted grabbing onto his arms, shaking him slightly to get the point across.

One of his rare smiles found itself in his lips. "Thank you, _Sakura_."

Her eyes widened and began to water. "Dang it Sai! You caught me off gaurd," she half heartedly yelled as she covered her face with her hands. Looking at Sakura who had been so deeply moved by his words pulled at something in his chest. He suddenly understood the feeling of wanting to hug someone.

". .Is it alright if I hug you?" The pale boy asked awkwardly.

"Just hug me already, stupid!" Clumsily he put his arms around her smaller frame. "Is this, um, alright?" He felt her arms wrap around him, holding on firmly and she sniffled.

"Yeah."

* * *

**End Note:** As always thank you sooo much for reading! Please reveiw, I would love your feed back. Yeahhh idk

if I'm even making any sense in my writing anymore *sighs*. Stress overload recently :o So the dates' names meanings, I bet you're dying to know!

Atsuko= warm child

Fuu= wind

Haruka= far off, distant

Junko= obedient child

Souta= suddenly/smooth and thick/big

Idk I thought I was being clever xD OH EHM GEE Next chapter is the last one :3

~StainedScarlet ;)


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